Woodberry Kitchen and Artifact Coffee lovers, take note: Chef Spike Gjerde is set to open his third Baltimore eatery in September. Named Shoo-Fly—an ode to both former tenant Hess Shoes and Amy Gjerde’s standout version of the Pennsylvania pie—the bilevel restaurant will serve the same style of locally sourced fare that’s drawn national attention to the Charm City eateries.
The 75-seat “farmhouse diner” will be located at 510 East Belvedere Avenue, about halfway between downtown Baltimore and Towson. Former Roy’s toque Patrick “Opie” Crooks has been tapped to oversee the menu, which will focus on renditions of classic diner comfort dishes such as sourdough pancakes with maple syrup and creamed chipped beef with air-cured-beef gravy. You’ll also find locally inspired dishes like a Hangtown Fry with fried oysters, bacon, and eggs on toast, and jars of Chesapeake crab salad. Small plates and entrée-size portions will be divided into categories like “snacks,” “griddle,” “eggs,” “open-faced,” and “large plates.” Drinks will also be diner-style (boozy shakes, perhaps?), which you can sip at a long 22-seat counter that stretches around the lower half of the restaurant. Also good news for night owls: The kitchen will be open from 4 PM to 1 AM daily.
When not dishing up hearty fare, the operation will be busy canning and preserving for Gjerde’s restaurants. Think beyond the pickle plate; the team at Woodberry currently preserves more than 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables, or about 50,000 pounds of produce annually.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
